Chair frame construction



1937. H. J. TERKER 2,089,818

CHAIR FRAME CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 29, 1936 INVENTOR Han" J 72 fie,"

A ORNEY Patented Aug. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES CHAIR FRAME CONSTRUCTION J. 'lerlrer, BrooklynrN. Y., assignor to Greenpoint Metalcraft, Incorporated, Brook- In, N. Y.,

Application April 29, 1936, Serial No. 78,920 Renewed June 29, 1937 3 Claims.- (Cl. 155-494) The present invention relates to chair frame or rocker constructions and particularly relates to such constructions as are composed of sheet metal and metal tubing.

5 It is among the objects of the present invention It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved chair frame construction in which the frame may be constructed of substantially circular side members, formed of tubing, which circular members may be reinforced and provided with floor runner members and may be connected together by transverse members in such a manner that a strong reinforced construction is obtained, enabling ready adaption for either a chair or a rocker. and also enabling ready storing and shipping with close stacking of the frames together when the chairs are being shipped from the factory to the retail outlet, when the chairs are being stored by the retail outlet, and when they r are not being utilized by the purchaser.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved detachable or removable seat and back construction for chair frames of various forms, which is constructed of sheet or tubular metal stock with a maximum of strength and a minimum consumption of material and in e which the back and seat may be readily handled during assembly, painting, shipping, storage and use, with a minimum of space consumption and with a maximum of convenience.

Other objects will be obvious or will be apparent during the course of the following specification.

In accomplishing the above object it has been found satisfactory in one embodiment to form the side frames of the chair of tubular metal stock, with the principal side frame member taking the form of complete or fragmentary circular elements and with these circular elements being provided with inwardly extending pins at their front portions and with a transverse bar at their rear portions, to receive and hold a detachable seat and back combination.

In such a construction, where the weight of the person'in the chair orrocker is taken up at the front and upper rear side of the circular side frame elements, it has been found particularly 5 desirable in obtaining a construction of maximum strength and durability to provide separate floor runner members, either straight for a chair, or curved for a rocker, which willbe positioned substantially below or tangent to the circular frame.

To hear the stress of the person sitting in the chair and prevent distortion of the circular frame it has been found most desirable to extend the ends of the floor runner members inwardly so that they will meet the circular frame at a relatively sharp angle, substantially less than 180 ranging about to If desired, the inturned portions of the floor runner members may be turned upwardly and outwardly within the circular frame to terminate at the upper portion thereof, or they may terminate at the circular frame.

In the former case the lower, normally tangent portions of the circular frame elements may be omitted, while in the latter case the circular frame is continuous and it is tangentially attached to the middle portion of the floor runner member.

In connecting the side frames together it has been found most satisfactory to use one or two cross members between the middle portions of the floor runner members and also to employ back transverse members, previously described for supporting the back of the seat element. v

Preferably, the transverse members are restricted to the back of the circular frame and to the bottom of the floor runner members, so that the frames may be most conveniently stacked to ether. I

In the preferred chair frame structure the back and seat are made separately of tubular borders which tubular members are slit to, receive sheet metal stock.

In the preferred construction, the seat and back are hinged together and the back and seat are provided with interengaging members respectively, to engage the front of the circular frame and the transverse bar at the rear of the circular frame.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective'view of the chair construction with the detachable seat and back combination in position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale upon line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the engaging member on the front of the seat element.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section upon the line 4-4 of Fig. '3. v

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing an engagingmember on the back element, which engages the transverse member between the side frames.

Fig. 6 is a transverse fragmentary sectional 5 view upon the line 6'-6 of Fig. 1 showing the chair frame.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of an alternative construction similar to Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, the two side frames A support the detachable seat and back structure LB.

7 Each of the side frames is. provided with a 1 main circular frame Ill and with a floor runner frame or member H, which is shown as having a fiat floor contact portion, but which also may be curved. if a rocker is desired.

The ends of the bottom of the floor runner. frame or member II are turned upwardly at 12 and then sharply inwardly at I3 to a point i4, vwhere they are connected to the lower ends of the partial circular frame Ill, which is discontinued between the points 14.

The sides of the frame ll continue upwardly, as indicated at l5 and curve outwardly until they reach the top of the circular frame l0, where they are welded to such frame.

In the preferred form of the invention, the frame is madeaof sheet metal tubing and the various elements of the tubing are completely welded together to give a finished appearance, as in Fig. 1. The openings in the tubing are covered by other tubing sections welded therein. and the side circular tubing .10, and the floor runner tubing H, are each preferably formed of integral tubing sections.

The two floor contact portions of the floor runner members it arepreferably connected together by the cross members i8, which cross members i8 are in turn connected by the short sections 89.

The rear of the circular frames it are connected by the curved cross member 20.

It will be noted that the chair frame or rocker frame, as shown in Fig. 1, having cross members only at E8 and 20 may be stacked together, stored and shipped when detached from the seat and back elements B, with the minimum of space consumption and a maximum of convenience.

The back and seat combination B is preferably provided with a seat portion C and aback portion D. V

The seat portion 'C is formed of the tubing 22 having the side sections 23 with extensions 26 to the hinge 25. The sheet metal floor or base 26 of the seat C (see Fig. 2) is preferably inserted into a continuous slot 21 in the front section 22 of the seat frame C and 28 in the side tubular sections'23 (see Fig. 3) and lame slot 29 of the rear'circular section 30, the rear section iii] extending between and being welded to the side members 23.

It will be noted that the sheet metal base26 is curved together with the side members 23 to form a most comfortable seat shape/ By extending the sheet 28 through the'slots 21, 28 and 29 as best shown in Figs. 2 to 4, with the edges of the sheet contacting the inside of the tubular stock 22, 23 and 80, a strong and durable construction is obtained, which will stand up under considerable usage. 70 The back section D consists of the side tubular sections- 31 which extend downwardly at 32 to the hinge 35. The back D. is composed of the upper and lower tubular sections 33 and 34 and the sheet metal back 35 (see particularly Figs. 1, 75 2.- 5 and 6).

The sheet metal web 35 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is inserted through the' slots 38 in the side tubular sections 3| and also in the slot 31.

To the rear tubular members 3| are attached the hooks or angles 38 which fit over the cross 'member 20 betwen the side'frames A (see Figs.

1, 2 and 6).

To the front of the side members 23 of the seat section C are attached the plates .39 having the slots 40. which fit over the pins 2| and are held inside of the heads 61 of said pins 2!, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The engagement between the rods 20, and the hooks 38 and the slotted plates 39 and the pins 2| is such as to hold the back and seat B firmly in position between the two frames A, with the hinge permitting convenient adjustment of the individual seat and back sections C and D with respect to the frame, thus taking up irregularities in manufacture, and expansion and contraction of the frames with varying conditions.

In addition, the hinge construction-of the back and seat frames B enables the back and seat to be most readily handled, conveniently packed and wrapped, and also readily placed upon the supporting frames, or removed therefrom as may be desired during usage.

It will be noted that the weight of the user of the chairis applied to the frames at the points 42 and 43 (see Fig. 1) and it has been found that the stress is most readily taken up by the circular frames l0 without deformation, if said circular frames are joined to the floor runner members I! by the inclined buttress or support members i2, constituting part of said floor runner members Ii.

The inturned portions 1 2 of the floor runner members which balance the weight on the circle elements ill and conduct the stresses to the floor, substantially eliminating deformation of the circular frames l0, should meet the circular frames Ill. at the point it atan angle varying between 45 and 135", the preferred angle being about 90, since this gives substantially the strongest tubular construction. The frame as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 may be made of any suitable type of steel tubing and steel sheet, and it may be chromium plated or preferably between the cross members I8. The

inturned portions l2 of the floor runner member ll terminate at M. where they contact the.

lower side of the circle frame i 0'.

The'construction shown in Fig. 7 is not as desirable as that shown in Fig. 1, since the sides of the seat are not embraced by the sections 45 as in Fig. 1, which replace the lower sections 44 Instead of welding the cross members It and 20 to the side frames A as shown in Fig.. 1, these cross members may also be bolted to said side frames. Also, the seat and back combination B may be detachably connected by bolts to the side frames A instead of the engagements 3B, 39 and 40 as indicated on Figs. 2 to 4. The seat and back combination B may also be arranged to carry cushions or to carry a wooden slat construction. A series of frames as shown in Figs. 1 and 7 may be connected together with continuous trans verse bars l8 and 20 extending through the adjacent frames and with one frame A serving for two adjacent chair or rocker structures.

The tubing as shown may be of a variety of sizes, for example steel tubing of external diameter of 0.75, 0.840, 0.875, 1.0625, and of 14, 17 or 18 gauge, may be conveniently utilized.

It will be thus seen that there is herein described aparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

It will be noted in referring to'Figs. 1 and '7 that the ends l2 and l2'- of the floor runner members l I and I l' and the sides of the round frames l and ID are tangent to a vertical straight line.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing fromthe scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall ,be interpreted-as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A chair frame construction comprising two side frames, each having a circular member and 4 a floor runner member, said floor runner members, .having flat floor engaging portions, and upwardly and outwardly bowed portions at the ends of the said flat portions, said bowed portions being intumed at their upper ends to join the 45 circular members substantially below the horizontal diameter of said circular members and adacent to the bottom of said circular members, said floor runner members being symmetrically positioned in respect to said circular members,

50 and said bowed portions being substantially directly below the sides of said circular members, transverse members connecting said side frames and means for carrying a seat and back construction carried by said chair frame construction.

2. A chair frame construction comprising two side frames, each having a circular member and a floor runner member, said floor runner members, having fiat floor engaging portions, and upwardly and outwardly bowed portions at the ends of the said flat portions, said bowed portions being intumed at their upper ends to join the circular members substantially below the horizontal diameter of said circular members and adjacent to the bottom of said circular members, said floor runner members being symmetrically positioned in respect to said, circular members, and said bowed portions being substantially directly below the sides of said circular members,

transverse members connecting said side frames and means for carrying a seat and back construction carried by said chair frame construction,

said circular members consisting of circular metal tubing and said floor runner members also being formed of metal tubing, the ends of which are inturned to join said circular members, said circular members being completely circular and being welded to the intermediate portions and end portions of the floor runner members.

3. A chair frame construction comprising two side frames, each having a circular member and a floor runner member, said floor runner members, having flat floor engaging portions, and upwardly and outwardly bowed portions at the ends of the said flatportions, said bowed portions being intumed at their upper ends to join the circular members substantially below the horizontal diameter of said circular members and adjacent to the bottom of said circular members, said floor runner members being symmetrically positioned in respect to said circular members, and said bowed portions being substantially directly below floor runner members being extended upwardly within said circular members until they terminate at the top thereof.

- HARRY J. TERKER. 

